In a prepared statement, Republican David Porter, the chairman, said the decision "was not an easy one, but I feel that all the goals I set out to achieve were accomplished during my tenure. Now is a good time to focus on my family and my return to the private sector. Effectively managing the agency as chairman, updating commission rules and regulations, and continuing the diligent work of the Eagle Ford Shale Task Force will be the top priorities for the remainder of my term."

Porter was to run for re-election next year.

Former Republican state senator and land commissioner Jerry Patterson says he is considering running for the post.

"The thing that got me motivated, is that we have this orchestrated effort by the left, from a variety of folks, against hydrocarbon energy in this country, and fighting those misguided and sometimes lying opposition from these groups gets my juices going," Patterson said.

And state Rep. Jim Keffer, R-Eastland, who had already announced he would be departing the House told the Quorum Report he is also considering entering the race.

"I feel like we need to have someone who knows and understands the oil and gas industry running it," Keffer told the Quorum Report.

Translator

To read this article in one of Houston's most-spoken languages, click on the button below.

Girl, 13, dies after jumping from moving bus

A teenage girl has died at the hospital after she was critically injured when she jumped from a moving school bus on Interstate 45.

The 13-year-old girl, whose name has not been released, died Wednesday, according to the Galveston County Medical Examiner.

Officials said the incident happened about 3:30 p.m. Monday in the 1000 block of the Gulf Freeway. The student was aboard a bus returning to Galveston from an alternative school. The girl was in the back of the bus when she opened the rear emergency door and leaped on the freeway.

The girl was rushed to John Sealy Hospital at the University of Texas-Medical Branch in Galveston.

Man killed in early-morning shooting

One man died in a shooting early Thursday morning in southwest Houston.

The shooting happened about 1 a.m. in the 5400 block of Baresvalley near Mullins, according to the Houston Police Department.

Police said residents in the area heard gunshots and then spotted a man lying outside along a street near apartment complexes. They called 911.

Police said the man, whose name has not been released, died at the scene.